Tag Archives: Felix Trinidad

Xander Zayas Defeats Patrick Teixeira by Unanimous Decision

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Xander Zayas is proving he’s a contender…

The 21-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer, touted as a contender since he was a teenager, dominated Patrick Teixeira in a unanimous decision victory on Saturday night in New York City to remain undefeated as a junior middleweight prospect.

Zayas (19-0, 12 KOs) also helped establish his boxing future in a different way at Hulu Theater inside Madison Square Garden. The native of San Juan was fighting on the weekend of the Puerto Rico Day Parade, a tradition for fighters from the island to be stars of the show at the Garden. Miguel Cotto and Felix Trinidad are among those who’ve made this tradition memorable.

Zayas, who signed with Top Rank when he was 16 and made his pro debut six weeks after his 17th birthday, marched forward from the start with attacks to the body.

He landed 10 body punches in the second round and another nine in the third, while Teixeira managed just three during those six minutes. That put Zayas in full control, and by the end of the fight, he had landed 76 body punches to 12 for Teixeira.

Zayas’ overall advantage in punches landed was 204-63, and he was threatening from start to finish.

But Teixeira (34-5, 25 KOs), who held the WBO junior middleweight world championship in 2021, stood tough and made it to the final bell.

Zayas moved his attack upstairs in Round 8 and snapped Teixeira’s head back several times with hooks and uppercuts. By the end of the ninth, the face of the 33-year-old Brazilian was bloody, and he was in survival mode, moving away from Zayas and throwing little offense back at the young fighter. Teixeira’s movement and toughness enabled him to make it to the end.

Two of the three judges scored every round for Zayas, while the third gave Teixeira one round.

“Thank you to the people of Puerto Rico,” Zayas said afterward. “Since I’m 5 years old, I’ve been dreaming about this.”

Cotto Soundly Defeats Sergio Martinez to Win the Middleweight Championship

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It’s a win “four” the history books for Miguel Cotto…

The 33-year-old Puerto Rican professional boxer, in what ESPN calls “an absolute tour de force,” won the middleweight championship of the world and made boxing history on Saturday night by stopping Sergio Martinez in the 10th round at Madison Square Garden.

Miguel Cotto

Cotto scored four knockdowns — three in the first round — in a remarkably dominant performance. After he dropped Martinez in the ninth round, Martinez was still on his stool when trainer Pablo Sarmiento would not let him continue, and referee Michael Griffin stopped the bout six seconds into the 10th round.

The largely Puerto Rican crowd of 21,090, who were mostly there for Cotto on the eve of the annual Puerto Rican Parade in New York, erupted in cheers.

With the overwhelming victory, Cotto made the Puerto Rican history that was his motivation for taking the fight — to become the first boxer from the island to win world titles in four weight classes.

Puerto Rican greats such as Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez and Felix Trinidad — all International Boxing Hall of Famers — each won world titles in three weight classes and became legends.

Now Cotto is one better than them.

“Happiest day of my life,” Cotto said. “This is the biggest achievement of my professional career.”

Cotto, who has won world titles at middleweight, junior middleweight, welterweight and junior welterweight, won every round and was ahead 90-77 on all three scorecards when the fight was stopped.

“I’m proud of Miguel. He worked so hard,” said Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, in only his second fight with Cotto. “He deserves this historic victory.”